MHI Blog—On the Tuesday of ProMat, April 4, MHI is presenting a seminar on the future of the material handling industry. Gary Forger will give a talk "Get Ready for the Next 10 Years In Material Handling and Logistics." This session will discuss the latest update on the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics. The discussion will feature the latest developments in and future impact on the supply chain of workforce, technology, consumers and logistics infrastructure.

ASIS—Security professionals must take a detailed look at the vendors who supply their assets and understand how those goods will be handled and ultimately implemented into their company’s operations or services. Following is a look at how a children’s hospital in Alabama applied supply chain security best practices to weather an unexpected storm, as well as provide for day-to-day operations.

Environmental Leader—Creating a trust-based relationship with suppliers can lead to improved company sustainability, experts say. After Wal-Mart and other companies discussed how to cut carbon emissions with their suppliers, the suppliers saved $12.4 billion in environmental costs in 2016.

Global Trade—Nearshoring—in which companies move production facilities closer to their consumer markets—is a phenomenon that appears to have found its footing. A 2016 annual survey from Alix Partners of manufacturing and distribution companies in North America and western Europe found that 69 percent say they are considering nearshoring—up from 40 percent the year before. More than two-thirds say they’ve nearshored in the past three years or plan to do so in the coming three.

MHI Blog—ProMat is where the industry comes to solve for X. It’s where they come to find that unknown quantity that will propel their business forward by making theirsupply chains a key differentiator. Here are the top 10 reasons why ProMat is a can’t-miss event in takingyour business to the next level of efficiency and profitability.

GoErie.com—Apprenticeship programs like Pennsylvania's are giving students an education and income for the work they do. An apprenticeship "combines on-the-job training with job-related instruction tied to the attainment of national skills standards," says Jim Rutkowski Jr. of Industrial Sales and Manufacturing.

Material Handling & Logistics—While most retailers understand the importance of providing a consistently positive customer experience, many struggle with legacy technology that fails to address customer experience needs, according to a new study, Redefining Final Mile Delivery in the Age of the Customer, released on February 14.The report examined the importance of customer experience in final-mile delivery, and the its impact on supply chain performance and decision-making.

MIT Technology Review—A startup called Daqri has technology that can print solid objects faster and also powers a new kind of head-up display. The basic principle here is an established 3-D-printing technique that uses lasers to cure a light-activated monomer into solid plastic. But unlike other approaches, which scan a laser back and forth to create shapes one layer at a time, this system does it all at once using a 3-D light field—in other words, a hologram. It could make 3-D printing far faster.

Modern Materials Handling—We are faced with the harsh reality that unless something radically changes, an estimated 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will be left unfilled by 2020. The legacies and future of North American manufacturing companies – especially small and medium sized businesses – are in jeopardy. Too few are entering the workforce.

TriplePundit.com—HP Inc. plans to eliminate 25% of its 2015 carbon emissions by 2025. The company will install clean energy technology on-site, purchase off-site renewables and look for ways to be more efficient in its energy use.

Modern Materials Handling— The Robotic Industries Association (RIA), an advocate in North America for safety and innovation in robotics, announced that in 2016 the North American robotics market broke all-time records for orders and shipments. During the year, 34,606 robots valued at approximately $1.9 billion were ordered in North America, representing growth of 10% in units over 2015.

Global Trade—Sending executives to work in foreign countries, particularly emerging markets or in "hot spot" areas, can be challenging, sometimes dicey. There are a myriad of insurance solutions that can offset the risks, but experts say companies should also educate themselves on the best practices for risk management in each of those locales—because their executives can’t always run to the nearest police station in places where law enforcement may not be all that effectual.

Tech Crunch—The integration of AI in cars, which includes safer driving, less traffic congestion and eventually, full automation, has the potential to revolutionize the way think about transportation. However, the transition from having cars with Siri-like assistants to fully-automated vehicles is not set in stone, and there are many unanswered questions as to how we’ll actually get there.

Bloomberg—Exporters including BP and Glencore are rushing to ship more gasoline and diesel abroad out of New York Harbor in an effort to ease the gasoline supply glut on the East Coast and keep prices from falling too much. At least six cargoes left New York in January and early February and 2 million more barrels of clean products will be exported over the next few days, but it may not be enough.

SupplyChainDigest—Tensions continue to rise in the seas around China, with potentially huge ramifications for the global supply chain. Last week, the Global Times, a tabloid controlled by the Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper, reported that the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council is considering amendments to the 1984 Maritime Traffic Safety Law.

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